Our Patio Garden

We thoroughly enjoy the summers in the Northwest. We love being able to dine outside

 and sit in the swing, watching our granddaughter blow bubbles and do chalk drawings on the patio.
We enjoy watching our garden grow and dining on the fruits (and veggies) of our labor.

This summer’s garden is a little different than our gardens in the past.

Previously, we had a half acre where we were able to grow fruit trees, berry bushes,

herb gardens, rose bushes, and more. I miss it, but we are having fun discovering

how much we can grow on and around our very small patio.

I read about container gardening and planned this winter what I hoped to grow.

Then in the spring, we collected the containers we had moved with us and started planting.

We planted beans and pumpkins in a small trough, we planted tomatoes and strawberries in

hanging planters, we added herbs to planters where a few were already growing.

We have peppers in a barrel, and rhubarb and blueberries were planted in flower pots.

It is growing like crazy! In our small little space we have 7 tomatoes, 4 peppers,

a strawberry pot (with four more in the side and front yards), a rhubarb crown,

3 pumpkin vines and 18 green bean bushes, and lots of herbs—rosemary, thyme, sage,

chives, basil, cilantro, parsley, mint, oregano, and lavender, as well as several winter

 and summer squash in a trough in the side yard.

Our little garden won’t necessarily fill our freezer or canning shelves for the winter,

but they will provide us with wonderful fresh vegetables during the summer and fall.

There will be enough to share and to experiment with a few small batches

of sauces, relishes, jams, and jellies.

It connects us to memories of our grandmothers and eating carrots straight from their gardens,

and it allows us to make memories with our granddaughter as she gets dirty helping us plant

and water,  and thinks that all the ripe strawberries are just for her.

Our patio garden provides a fragrant, beautiful, and peaceful place to relax at the end of the day.

For us, gardening is a multi-generational adventure and

a great opportunity to share my (our) heart for home.